Getting Equipped for Workshops

MASC 2012 Workshops
Build Up Your Own Personality

What will it take for you to find success in your career? The right educational qualifications, the appropriate technical skills and years of experience seem like a potent and surefire recipe for climbing up the career ladder, but there’s actually another important consideration employers look for.

And that’s soft skills!

MASC 2012, which aims to expose delegates with the most significant and relevant topics of discussion, is aware of this essential element and hence, is addressing this issue through a series of interactive and hands-on workshops which focus onto several key aspects that will help to drive delegates to a higher level of self-enhancement. This brand new workshop session will be conducted concurrently and topics that will be covered are as follow:

Speakers for the workshops

1. Leadership – Michael Reyes (mike@moneytree.my)

Currently the CEO of Money Tree Asia Pacific Limited, A company which offers & conducts programs on improving financial, investment and entrepreneurial skills amongst the young from ages 6 upwards.

He is actively involved in the program, and speaks to youths on issues related to investments & Entrepreneurship. He also works with Institutions of Higher Learning to design and develop curriculum for training undergraduates on Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship that goes beyond the classroom.

He is currently working on projects in Asia Pacific (primary Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Hong Kong and Australia) & Europe to promote and develop key learning initiatives in these fields.

Michael is also a non-executive director for a group of companies in Poland involved in trading, property development and 3D Visualisation.

Prior to Money Tree, Michael spent 12 years in Advertising & Marketing Consultancy. He holds qualifications in both Economics and Computer Science.

2. Communication - Jonathan Quek

3. Technology - PwC Team

4. Critical Thinking - Chris Tan

5. Innovation - Pn. Hamidah

Knowing the topics...

1. Leadership
Leadership has been a main concern in developing young talents especially when entering 21st century. Excellence in academic is no longer sufficient to survive in the world but outstanding leadership skill is now necessary to outshine yourself among million thousands of other similar fresh graduates.

2. Communication
IT Training magazine conducted a survey which found that communication skills and interpersonal skills were the main factors contributing to career success. There is a quote from John Kotter, Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn’t about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way. Human are social animals, we communicate with each other every day, but how well can we communicate effectively, this is a great question to ponder about for accounting fresh graduates. 

3. Effective Management

Superior performance depends on how well an individual handles not just him/herself but others around the workspace. To a very large extent, the success or failure of a business operation is dependent on the role of management. To obtain success, it is important on how well an individual handles not just him/herself but others around the work-space as well. Try to picture this: there are two possible candidates, A and B for a management position. Their technical skills are on par. A shows great leadership potential and is able to organize people and things well. On the other hand, B is less organized and occasionally, gets caught in conflicts. It comes as no surprise when A gets the promotion.

4. Technology
Technology that we never dreamed of even a decade ago is commonplace today. Everywhere we go, whether it’s a bank, dentist’s office or a fast food restaurant, we see evidence of new technology. Virtually, all our communication, data storage and retrieval, and everyday transactions involve some type of computerized system. Hence, knowledge of technology will be critical when students graduate and enter the workplace. Since technology is used in a wide variety of occupations, technology literacy is essential for a successful job search. Those who are lacking basic computer skills will be at disadvantage from the outset, unable to even apply for a position.

5. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is being thought in schools more than ever, and businesses are placing greater importance on the critical thinking abilities of new hires. Critical thinking is ideally an objective process used to determine the value of an argument, set of beliefs, claim or issue. Critical thinking usually employs logical reasoning and empirical evidence to reach a conclusion, and ultimately seeks to move away from personal biases, intuitions and preconceptions.

6. Innovation

In order to outshine others, one must be the brightest star. What makes the difference is the power of innovation. Innovation is the asset, and is the gold of knowledge. Creativity encourages innovation and innovation plays a vital role in the development of new business concepts, processes and products. Once considered just in the areas of science and advertising, creativity and innovation now play an important role in all levels and departments of a business. In today’s fast paced business environment, creativity and innovation is a prerequisite for success, and  perhaps even for survival. How do we look into innovation from accounting perspective?